There isn’t much that mma fans can agree on. “Who’s the pound for pound best fighter in the world?” “Is an mma monopoly the best choice for the sport?” “How good was Fedor, really?” It sometimes seems that mixed martial arts fans are compelled by their drive to disagree. While these disagreements often result in internet grand standing, dirty politics, and financially influenced rankings, it can, in rare cases, lead to something productive. Combat 8 fits this bill like a glove.

Combat 8 appears to have been born out of the relatively common sentiment that smothering ground work can slog the pace of an otherwise exciting fight. Whether or not the general public agrees, or even whether it’s true, the Combat 8 team in Australia decided to put their money where there mouth was and try something unique.

In a recent Combat 8 battle between Rob Lisita and Hugh Cameron, Australian fans were treated to a fight unlike anything that had ever been done before- a thrilling, bloody, punch-fest that resembled a bout out of a Rocky movie. You can catch the full video below.

The secret to the excitement lies in Combat 8’s revolutionary ruleset.

The first, and most notable point, is that either fighter is allowed to take their opponent to the ground only once for 30 seconds every round. Having such a short amount of time to work forces the fighters to more actively pursue ground-and-pound, submission attempts, and finishes. But that’s not all. Under Combat 8 rules any kicking, kneeing, or clinching is illegal. Combat 8 rules are three rounds of small-gloved boxing madness, with a smidgen of grappling thrown in to keep things interesting.

Mix it all these separate parts together and what you get is a brand new sport beyond the scope of modern mma. It might alienate the hardcore fans, but Combat 8 presents a fresh idea to the mixed martial arts marketplace: that tried and true formulas are meant to be broken.

We’ll be seeing a slew of new shows out of Australia over the next few months, so be sure to keep up with Combat 8 on facebook here, and stay with FSA for all your Australian combat news.

One Comment on “A Different Breed of Fight Sport: How Combat 8 is Changing the Face of MMA”

Absolutely brutal sport, the C8 show at Luna Park was one of the most brilliant and entertaining fighting events Australia has ever seen. Worth every cent of the ticket, I’d sincerely recommend any fight fan check out one of the shows!